Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for searching and downloading content in a terminal and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for searching and downloading content related to particular content through a broadcast service received by the terminal.
Discussion of the Related Art
These days, in general, a terminal such as a mobile communication terminal or the like provides a supplementary service such as receiving and outputting video in addition to its general function such as radio communication. When the terminal receives content such as video, it can use a point-to-point method like a communication function. However, the point-to-point method may apply an excessive load to a mobile communication network in terms of mobile communication having a limited bandwidth. Thus, a method for providing content or the like to the terminal by using a broadcast service has been introduced.
When the terminal receives content through a broadcast service, it can subscribe to a service providing also a video on demand (VOD) with respect to the content. When the terminal subscribes to the service, a service provider of the broadcast service provides VOD information regarding the content currently viewed by the user of the terminal through a service guide with respect to the content. However, even when the user subscribes to the service, the service guide does not provide VOD information of different contents (e.g., a different episode of a TV show viewed by the user) related to the content currently viewed by the user. In addition, when the terminal has not subscribed to the service providing the VOD in addition, the service guide does not provide even the VOD information regarding the content currently viewed.
Thus, when the user of the terminal wants to purchase the content currently viewed or the content related to the content currently viewed as VOD, the terminal must request a general service guide including information regarding all the content and services from the service provider, search for his desired content from the service guide, and then again request the desired content from the service provider. Also, when the terminal stores the general service guide, the general service may be limited to be stored due to a limited memory capacity of the terminal.
Also, when the user of the terminal wants to purchase the entirety of different episodes of a miniseries to which the content currently viewed belongs, the service guide does not provide VOD information regarding the entire episodes. Thus, the user must request purchasing the episodes one by one, separately.
Also, service guide fragments required to obtain information regarding the service guide are transmitted to the user via a broadcast channel or an interactive channel, they are likely to be lost during the transmission. In addition, even a service guide fragment which has been already transmitted may be erased before its use is completed due to a limited memory capacity of the terminal.
Also, when the relationship between respective content is not clarified in the service guide, the user or the terminal cannot know the relationship of the content, and only broadcast servers know the relationship.
In addition, in order to check whether or not service guide fragments of the content related to content designated by the user are stored in the terminal, the user or the terminal must check every service guide fragment stored in the terminal one by one.